Hollywood Argonauts
by TheScarletOctopus
Summary: "Greek mythology's lame," Jade had said; "I wish it could be more interesting."  Now she and her friends are stuck aboard the Argo, helping Jason in his quest for the Golden Fleece-and risking their lives in the process.  Be careful what you wish for...
1. When You Wish Upon a Stone

**A/N: While I was generally pleased with how **_**Nine Alone**_** turned out, it still ended up a bit bleaker than I'd intended. By way of a corrective, here's the first chapter of a story that I hope will be a much more lighthearted adventure. No killing off Sikowitz and Sinjin this time around – they won't even be in it. No Rex, either. (After the events of "Who Did It to Trina?", I've lost all interest in writing for him. Unless it's a series of one-shots where I "kill" him off in increasingly gruesome ways, that is.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Victorious**_**, and **_**nobody**_** owns the story of the Argonauts. No, not even Ray Harryhausen.**

If Hollywood Arts had offered nothing but acting classes, Jade West might actually have been a cheerful person.

…All right, perhaps that's overstating the case a bit; after all, grouchiness was her default state of being. But certainly it didn't help matters one bit that, even at the nation's premier performing arts magnet school, she still had to take "regular" classes.

It wasn't a matter of lacking academic ability; far from it. In fact, Jade's mind was almost frighteningly sharp. When she was six, her mother bought her _A Child's First Stories from Shakespeare_ for her birthday; the next day, she asked to check out the _Complete Norton Shakespeare_ from the public library; by the end of the week, she had memorized every line of _Romeo and Juliet_, and was boldly tackling _Macbeth_, fake Scottish burr and all. When a subject fascinated her, she absorbed every aspect of it like a sponge.

But when it didn't…well, as the Bard would say, there was the rub. For in addition to being brilliant, Jade West was an exceptionally stubborn young woman; and once she had decided that something bored her, she simply shut down – refused categorically to have anything to do with it.

At any other school but Hollywood Arts, this attitude would have spelled disaster. Fortunately for Jade, HA's teachers were accommodating, and often found ingenious ways to spark her interest in their respective subjects – usually by relating them to her greatest love, theater. History? She could learn about the Wars of the Roses through _Richard III_, and the Hundred Years' War through _Henry V_. Science? Special effects and stage pyrotechnics are all about chemistry and physics. Math? "Plan the operating budget for a big Broadway musical." Most of the time, it worked.

But there were failures as well; and classical mythology, sadly, was among them. Nothing could convince her that it was worth her time. Her teachers practically flooded her with Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, the tragedies of Seneca – all to no avail. For her myth meant little more than a jumble of meaningless names and places, silly stories about silly people.

Matters came to a head when, at Beck's urging, she enrolled in an AP Psychology course. Naturally enough, Freud was first on the menu, and so Jade found herself compelled to write a paper on the mythological origin of the infamous "Oedipus complex".

It was handed back on a Friday, at the end of the school day. As soon as she burst out of the classroom, Beck could tell things hadn't turned out well.

"What happened, babe?"

Wordlessly, she handed him the paper. The first thing that drew his eye was Mrs. Kowalski's characteristic chicken-scratch handwriting, in red ink that all but covered the title page: "F. You should be ashamed of yourself for handing this in. I've never seen such poor work from any student, let alone one as gifted as you are. If you're not going to apply yourself, why bother showing up at all?"

"Ouch," he murmured.

He flipped to the next page – which, he discovered, was also the last page. It read: "Oedipus was some guy who wanted to get it on with his mother, which is just freakin' sick. Sick and wrong. What the hell, Greeks? The End."

"Well?" Jade elbowed him in the side. "What do you think? Did she screw me over or what?"

_Oh, boy. How do I phrase this without setting her off?_ "Um…I can see her side of things."

Her face swiftly darkened. "What exactly is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Just…there's not a lot here."

"So? What more is there to say? It's all just a load of crap anyway."

He sighed. "Jade, sweetheart, sometimes I don't know what to do with you."

Tori approached, flanked by André and Robbie. "Anyone up for a smoothie?"

"Bite me, Vega."

"Well, _somebody's_ sure cranky. Is it that time of the month?"

"The time to split your lip? Yeah, I do believe it is."

Beck quickly stepped between the two girls. "I think a nice, _relaxing_ smoothie might be just what the doctor ordered. Maybe we should wait for Cat, though."

As if on cue, the tiny redhead came around the corner, in the middle of a heated argument with Trina.

"It was _not _a waste of money!" Cat cried.

"Think how many pairs of jeans you could have bought instead. Or shoes!" Trina clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "You just have no common sense at all."

"What's the problem?" asked Robbie.

Cat went from frown to beaming smile in the space of an instant. "Look at the cool pendant I bought!" She removed it from her neck and held it out to her assembled friends. It was a finely carved blue stone dodecahedron, set in a thin gold frame; the light glinted off its many surfaces as she turned it.

"Sweet, Lil' Red!" said Andre. "Where'd you get it?"

"I ordered it from Sky St-"

She noticed the group's disapproving looks.

"…Um, I mean I ordered it from a catalog that has _nothing at all_ to do with commercial air travel."

Tori examined it closely, fascinated. "What is it, exactly?"

"It's called a Wishing Stone. The ad said that if you place it in the palm of your hand and make a wish, it'll immediately come true."

"Of _course _it will," said Jade. She genuinely liked Cat, but her foul mood had stripped her of any patience with her friend's gullibility. "Maybe next time you should just flush your money down the toilet. It'd be a lot quicker."

Cat stamped her foot. "But it works! It really does! I held it in my hand and wished for a turkey sandwich, and then my mom brought me one!"

"Um, Cat?" asked Robbie gently. "Did you ask your mom to make you a turkey sandwich _before_ you used the stone?"

"Yes…does that matter?"

Jade snorted in disgust. "I swear, you must be the most naïve person on the face of the Earth."

"If you don't believe it works, then try it yourself!" Cat thrust the pendant at her.

"I don't have time for this nonsense-"

Cat's lip began to quiver. Jade knew this warning sign – any moment now she would start bawling.

"…All right, fine." She held out her palm.

The quiver vanished. "Yay!"

The stone, Jade noticed, had a curious feel – almost as if there were a slight electric current running through it. She could sense power flowing into her veins, quickening her heartbeat. _This is remarkable…_

"Well?" said Andre. "Are you going to make a wish or not?"

"Oh. Right. Um…I wish for…" _Oh, what the hell._ "…for somebody to make mythology interesting for me."

The stone glowed for an instant, then became cold and inert.

She handed it back to Cat. "Okay, I did it. Are you hap-"

The ocean.

"…py?"

_What in the name of __**God**__…?_

The seven of them were standing on the wooden deck of a ship. To either side, rows of short but powerfully muscled men plied their oars, their bodies sweating in the fierce sun. To their rear they could see a hilly land that was already distant and rapidly receding, while before them was nothing but a vast expanse of sea.

"Uh oh," gulped Robbie. "I don't do well on boats." His face turned green, and he began to lurch about. "Anybody got any Dramamine?"

In the prow stood an imposing individual, only in his twenties but with a thick beard, his long brown hair hanging down in oiled ringlets. He was dressed in a white tunic covered by a gilded bronze breastplate. A sword hung at his side, and his feet were shod in leather sandals.

He stared at them in wonder, with piercing green eyes. They stared back at him, no less amazed.

At last, he broke the silence. "What manner of creatures are you, that you appear on my ship in the middle of the ocean and spirit away members of my crew?"

"We're…um…just people. Regular old people," Tori replied.

"Nonsense. You have made keen-eyed Lynceus vanish – and Orpheus of the melodious lyre – and even mighty Heracles! No ordinary man can do such a thing, and certainly no _woman_."

"Hey!" snapped Jade. "Can the sexism, sandal boy!"

" 'Sexism'? This word is not known to me." He studied them curiously. "If you are truly human, you must come from far distant lands; I see that there is an Ethiopian among you."

André scowled. "Okay, I've just met you, but already I can't stand you. Who do you think you are, talking like that? And just who the hell _are_ you, anyway?"

"Who am_ I_?" The man seemed astonished at the question. "Who in all the lands of the world does not know my name and quest? I am called Jason of Iolchos, son of Aeson, sent by King Pelias to find and bring back the Golden Fleece from the palace of King Aeetes in distant Colchis. This is my ship, the _Argo_."

Their jaws dropped.

Trina was the first to recover her composure. She quickly turned to Cat. "Okay, you need to wish us out of here. Right. Now."

"But shouldn't we stay a little while and talk to the nice-"

"NO!" they shouted in unison.

"Oh, okay. I wish that we could – OOF!"

Robbie's poor sea legs had given out at last. As he stumbled, he struck Cat in the side. She fell, the pendant flying out of her hand.

For Jade, time suddenly seemed to slow to a crawl. She could see what was going to happen; she wanted desperately to stop it; but she could only stand, frozen, and watch the inevitable.

The pendant went over the side, and splashed into the water.

Everyone looked at Robbie, who lay prostrate on the deck. Fists clenched. Teeth gritted. Eyes blazed.

"Um…oops? " he whimpered.

Jade turned to the man who had called himself Jason. "Do you have a plank handy, dude?"

"A plank? Why?"

" 'Cause I think we've got somebody – " she gestured at Robbie – "who needs to walk it."


	2. New Skills and New Alliances

**A/N: I'll try to update regularly, but due to the huge press of work I'm under right now, I can't make any promises.**

**Disclaimer: don't own.**

The _Argo _had put in at a small island off the Thracian coast, to take on provisions and ride out the rough weather that its helmsman, Tiphys, was convinced would soon approach. Jason decided that this was an opportune moment to question the bizarre group that had materialized out of nowhere on board his ship and seemingly kidnapped eight members of his crew. Unfortunately for the Hollywood Arts gang, Jason's interrogation method turned out to involve surrounding them with belligerent sword-wielding sailors, forming a deadly ring of steel.

"Now, I suggest you begin to speak the truth," he told them, "if you wish to keep your heads attached to your necks."

"We've already _told _you the truth," shot back Jade. "If you don't want to believe it, there's not much we can do to help."

Jason turned to Beck, André, and Robbie. "You let a woman speak for you? You should be ashamed of yourselves."

"Okay, you're gonna die now." Jade advanced on him, snarling, but a sword point placed on her neck swiftly convinced her that discretion was the better part of valor.

Trina turned to Robbie. "Can I just take this moment to say thanks for trapping us here, you klutz? This is a hundred times worse than Yerba!"

"Hey, we never would have come here in the first place if _Jade_ hadn't made that stupid wish!"

"And _I _wouldn't have _made_ that wish if _Cat_ hadn't insisted that I take her damn pendent!"

"And _I_ wouldn't have _bought _the pendent in the first place if my _mom _hadn't left her wallet lying on the kitchen counter with all her credit cards inside it!"

Everyone looked at Cat.

"I'm just saying…" she mumbled.

"ENOUGH of this!" Jason was practically apoplectic. "Did King Pelias send you to thwart me? Does he have some form of sorcery at his command? And where are my noble shipmates? I cannot complete my quest without them!"

"Oh, come on," said Trina. "You really think that we're useless? We can find some shiny sheepskin just as well as your buddies can."

He laughed – a great, booming laugh, soaked in bitterness. "Foolish girl. It was Heracles, son of Zeus and Alcmene, mightiest of all the Hellenes, who was standing in _your_ place when you appeared. Do you have his brawn? Can you subdue lions and wild boars with the strength of your arm alone?"

"Don't underestimate me."

He laughed again. "Let us see. Come, Polydeuces!" From behind him stepped a hulking mountain of a man, stripped to the waist, with bronze-studded leather straps bound around his hands. "It is Hellas' finest boxer, girl, and another son of Zeus, who stands before you. Face him in combat, and see what luck you have."

Trina tried to maintain a show of bravado, but her quavering voice betrayed her. "Um…sure. Whatever. I'm not afraid of some muscle-bound thug…"

Without even giving her a moment to prepare herself, Polydeuces unleashed a powerful uppercut that struck her square on the chin. Tori gasped.

Trina didn't even flinch.

Polydeuces took a step back, astonished. "Are you wearing invisible armor, girl?"

Trina had no idea how she had withstood the blow, but her success gave her confidence. "I don't _need_ armor to beat _you_ down. Take this!" She let fly with a roundhouse kick to his chest.

What happened next stunned everyone. Polydeuces was not simply knocked backward – he went flying, and splashed into the water some two hundred yards from the beach.

"Holy shit," said Jade. "How often do you go to the gym?"

"…Not _that_ often." Trina was testing herself, flexing her muscles one by one. "I don't understand it – but I feel strong. Incredibly strong."

Unnoticed by everyone, Cat had begun to try to scratch her back. She felt a terrible, all-consuming itch.

"Witch!" bellowed Jason at Trina. "Not only have you abducted Heracles, but you have stolen his strength as well!"

"I didn't _mean_ to…"

Cat's itch grew worse. Unable to reach every place where it had spread, she finally dropped to the ground and began to roll in the sand.

"The small one has been struck with a fit of the divine madness, it would appear," remarked Tiphys, who was standing just behind Jason.

"No, I just…can't stand it…the itch…gah!" She pulled off her blouse.

"Cat, no-" cried Tori.

From the tiny redhead's back, something had begun to sprout. Two somethings, in fact. White and thin, with great swooping curves, reaching down almost to Cat's ankles – and fluttering in the breeze…

Cat had wings.

"What happened?" she cried. "Did I die and turn into an angel?"

"Those wings…" said the awestruck Jason. "They are like those of Zetes and Calais, sons of Boreas the North Wind, who also vanished when you appeared."

"But does that mean I can…" Cat concentrated for a moment, tightening and relaxing the muscles of her back. The wings began to flap. She took a deep breath and jumped into the air.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

As if propelled by rockets, she took off into the cloudless sky.

"Cat, calm down!" screamed Jade, terrified for her friend. "Just relax and try to get control!"

She obeyed. Her ascent slowed, then leveled off. She circled high above their heads, her wings beating slowly. "This is incredible!" she whooped.

Tori turned to Jason. "Okay, dude, what about the rest of us?"

"Er…well…" He was trying desperately to regain his composure. "You, woman of the comely cheeks, replaced Euphemus, the son of Poseidon. So swift a runner is he that he can skim across the tops of the ocean waves and not sink."

"Well, let's just see, then…"

Tori began to run. She had always been quick on her feet, and she found running exhilarating; but what she was experiencing now was of an entirely different order of magnitude. It was as if she alone in all the world had the power of motion, and all those around her had become statues. She raced through the gap that Polydeuces had left in the circle, down the beach, and onto the water. It might as well have been solid ground, so easily did she travel across it. She circled about and came back, rounding the beached _Argo _and rejoining her friends. When she stopped, everything seemed to resume its normal movement.

"How was that?" she asked, panting for breath.

"All I could see was a blur," André replied. "Damn, _muchacha_. I always said you had killer legs, but this…"

"You know," said Robbie, "I don't need my glasses anymore." He removed them and slipped them into his shirt pocket. "Everything's clear…so sharp and well-defined…"

Jason was actually trembling now. "Look…look downward, awkward one."

Robbie obeyed. "What's the big deal? It's just sand…and bedrock…layers of bedrock…fossils…and the molten core of the earth, churning…I can see it," he whispered. "I can see _everything_."

"You have the eyesight of Lynceus, son of Aphareus. Nothing on Earth or below it is hidden from him."

He turned to the others. "You, man with hair more glorious than mine, must have the power of Periklymenos, another son of Poseidon; his father granted him the gift to alter his form however he wills when in the heat of battle. You, Ethiopian-"

"Don't. Call me that. Again."

"…You, _muscular one_, have replaced Orpheus, the bard, deft with any instrument of music, whose song can calm the wild beasts and summon rocks and trees to listen."

"So, you're pretty much what you were already." Tori winked at André, causing him to turn away shyly.

"…And the woman with the sharp tongue has replaced Idmon, son of Apollo, who can tell the future by interpreting dreams and reading the flights of birds."

"I'm a prophet?" said Jade. "Okay, that settles it – when we get back, I'm buying a lottery ticket."

"_If_ we get back, you mean," Robbie muttered under his breath.

Tori smacked him lightly on the back of the head. "Don't say that, dude. Confidence is key." She walked up to Jason and looked him steadily in the eyes. "The way I see it, you've got two choices. You can try to kill us now – emphasis on 'try' – and be in for the fight of your life; or you can let us come along and help you on your quest until we can find a way home. Which will it be?"

He gulped. "I…grant you permission to join my crew. But remember, I am captain, and my word is law."

Jade smirked. "We'll just see about that."


	3. Girls' Town

**A/N: The following is not my finest hour as a writer, to put it mildly. I just wanted to get in an update before work completely overwhelms me.**

**Disclaimer: don't own.**

Rowing was certainly not one of the more pleasant duties that the Hollywood Arts students had to undertake. Fortunately, they found that, while no one could match Trina in sheer muscle-power, all of them had increased vigor and stamina that allowed them to keep pace with the formidable warriors who occupied the other rowing benches. Even little Cat's slender arms could suddenly do the work of a grown man in excellent physical condition.

They were helped, too, by the brisk air of the Aegean Sea. It filled their lungs with a sharp, salty tang that seemed to pump energy into their limbs. It was the height of summer, and the sun was intense every day, but the surrounding watery expanse moderated the temperature and kept the heat from becoming unbearable; at night, a cool breeze blew over them, refreshing their weary spirits. The shipbuilder himself, Argus, served as coxswain, and his stentorian cries kept them in perfect rhythm as they beat the waves with their oars.

Jade was still puzzled by the lack of a language barrier between their group and the rest of the crew. When she had asked Jason "Shouldn't you be speaking Greek?" he only replied in puzzlement: "I _am _speaking the tongue of the Hellenes, as are you." She could only conclude that whatever magical power had transported them here had also made it possible for their different languages to be mutually comprehensible.

Every free moment, they met to discuss possible ways of getting home. They would gladly have looked for another Wishing Stone during their travels, but Cat couldn't remember what the name was of the curious mineral from which it was made, or where it was mined.

It was Robbie, the resident mythology buff among them, who finally had a brainstorm. "Look, when we get to Colchis, Medea, King Aeetes' daughter, will fall in love with Jason and agree to help him get the Fleece. She's one of the most powerful magicians in all of Greek myth – maybe she'll know a way to get us back."

They agreed that it was worth a try. In the meantime, they would remain patient, and seize any opportunities that presented themselves.

/

The _Argo_ was a fine ship, but it had considerable limitations. The hull was too shallow to hold many provisions, so it was necessary to stop frequently; and the sudden storms to which the Mediterranean is prone could do it crippling damage if it were caught on the open water, so Tiphys plotted their course to hug the coast as much as possible – which exposed the ship to other considerable dangers, for the coasts along which it sailed were rough and rocky. It came as no small relief to Jade and her friends when, after a particularly fierce squall that nearly swamped them, they successfully made landfall on the southern coast of the island of Lemnos.

The beach was sandy and beautiful, the ground beyond it flat, covered by a mixture of grass and scrub, with the occasional gnarled tree in which bees buzzed. The sound of bleating sheep came from the distant hills. Set far back on the highest peak was a small city, enclosed by stone walls painted in brilliant shades of red and blue. Robbie stared at it. "Company's coming."

The rest of them could see no signs of life, but they had long since learned to trust Robbie's astonishing new powers of vision; and so it came as no surprise when, almost an hour later, a long column of people on horseback appeared in the plain. They wore military cloaks, and carried spears; wooden shields hung from their saddles. Every one of them rode tall and proud.

They were, Jade realized, all female.

When they were within speaking distance of the Argonauts, the advance guard wheeled aside, to reveal a sedan chair in which was ensconced a splendidly dressed woman of astonishing beauty. Every inch of her glittered with jewels, and her raven hair was encircled by a thin diadem of solid gold that gleamed as the sun's rays struck it. She disembarked, helped by two attendants, and approached them.

"I bid you greetings, strangers. Who are you, and whence do you come? Are your intentions those of peace or war?"

Jason strode to the forefront and puffed out his chest. "Greetings to you as well, my queen – for surely one of such loveliness must be of royal blood. I am Jason…"

Jade mockingly mouthed along with him: "…of Iolchos, son of Aeson, sent by King Pelias to the palace of King Aeetes in Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece."

"I have heard rumors of your quest," the lady answered. "I am Hypsipyle, queen of this island. You and your men…" Suddenly she realized the presence of Tori, Jade, Cat and Trina. "…and, er, your _women_ are welcome here. Follow us to our city, so that you may bathe yourselves and rest. We shall feast when the sun sets."

"We should leave a guard around the ship," said Jason. "Women, you remain here."

"Yeah, not gonna happen," said Jade, who had noticed that three of the Lemnian women were already trying to run their fingers through Beck's hair. "Cat and the Vegas can handle guard duty just fine – I'm coming with _you_."

Jason opened his mouth as if to protest, but quickly thought better of it at the sight of Jade's infamous death glare.

As Jade approached Hypsipyle, a tall red-headed woman with a fierce countenance blocked her path. "Insolent cur, keep your distance from our Queen!"

"Alexanassa…" said Hypsipyle admonishingly. "I admire your zeal, but your temper should be kept in check."

Keeping her eyes on Jade, the red-head stepped aside.

"Alexanassa is the captain of my personal guard," Hypsipyle explained. "She takes my safety very seriously indeed."

As they marched into the hills two abreast, Beck murmured to Jade, "Where do you think the men are?"

"Beats me – but I bet you're just _loving_ how this is playing out, aren't you? Surrounded by beautiful women – and I could see how that Hypsipyle had her eye on you." She glowered at him.

"Okay, babe, how many times do I have to tell you that there's no need to be jealous? And besides, I'm pretty sure the Queen only has eyes for Jason."

"All right, fine. But no funny business at dinner, okay?"

He grinned. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

/

Whatever her other misgivings about this island, Jade couldn't deny that the bath she took that afternoon was one of the most pleasant she had ever had. The attendants had put some sort of spice into the water and heated it through a system of pipes that ran beneath the floor, so that it filled her nostrils with a heavenly smell. She had never before accumulated so much sweat on her body, and she could almost feel it dissipating as she scrubbed every part of herself with a sea sponge.

Rolling her street clothes up into a ball and stashing them in the pouch she carried, she slipped into a garment of finely woven linen that the Lemnians had provided and strapped sandals to her feet. _Ah, this is the life,_ she thought.

…_Careful, Jade. Don't let yourself get carried away. There's still something fishy going on here._

She had yet to figure out precisely how her supposed gift of prophecy worked. All her dreams since arriving on the _Argo_ had been the usual confused jumble of images, from which she could extract nothing of significance, and it was completely beyond her how she or anyone else could "read" the flight of birds. Even so, she had discovered that she could feel a certain tingling in the back of her neck when danger impended; it was thanks to this that she had warned them of the recent squall, which Tiphys had continued to insist would never materialize until the very moment it struck. Now, although the warm bath had lulled her into a temporary sense of security, the tingling was returning.

_Beck's got a darned good point. Where _are_ the men? If most Greek males are anything like Jason, they're so unbearably macho that they couldn't _stand _the sight of women bearing arms and calling the shots. Did they all just up and leave out of protest?_

Dinner was luxurious. Jade thought the stream of dishes that the serving-women brought out would never come to an end – quail and boar, trout and crab, grapes, olives and honey-cakes. Jason and his fellows ate greedily, spurning any sort of utensils and ripping their food to bits with their fingers before thrusting it into their perpetually packed mouths. It was off-putting to watch – but not so off-putting as to rob Jade of her own ravenous appetite._ I'd better watch it, or I'm gonna be too heavy to move under my own power before this night is over._

"So," she said to the Lemnian noblewoman seated to her right, a brunette with high, aristocratic cheekbones (uncomfortably reminiscent of Tori's) who was known as Erigone, "why weren't your menfolk able to attend our little get-together?"

The woman glanced away, as if unsettled by the choice of subject. "The men of our island are off on a plundering expedition in Thrace. We Lemnians are a warlike people, always in search of slaves and booty; and since our men are often occupied elsewhere, we women have trained ourselves to defend our homes in their stead."

"Looks like you're doing a good job of it. When will the men be returning?"

"What concern is it of yours, stranger?"

Jade was taken aback by the fire that suddenly blazed in the other woman's eyes. "Um…my apologies. I didn't mean to pry into your private affairs. Forgive me."

Erigone's tense muscles eased. "No – forgive _me,_ for being such a poor host."

After the food came wine, served in vast mixing bowls made of gold embossed with silver figures. It wasn't Jade's first time drinking – when her parents' marriage was on its last legs, her mother had often left half-consumed liquor bottles around the house – but even so, she was unprepared for the strength of this particular brew. It was nearly pure alcohol, with only a small percentage of water to temper its fiery taste.

She could only down one swig before pushing the goblet aside. Jason and his compatriots, on the other hand, seemed able – and willing – to imbibe endlessly. With every cupful their talk became louder, their lips looser, their gestures more exaggerated – and Jade's patience thinner.

At last they staggered off, each with his arm around a Lemnian woman. Jason and Hypsipyle headed for the palace bedchamber.

_This looks like an opportune time for a little investigation,_ Jade thought. She motioned subtly to Beck, Andre, and Robbie, sitting at the far end of the table, all of whom had women tugging at their clothes and pointing to the door-

_Wait a minute…_

"BECK! Get your ass over here NOW!"

/

The hills that had seemed relatively unimposing by day proved far more difficult to negotiate by night. Jade feared that torches might draw unwanted attention to their unauthorized expedition, so they were forced to rely on the moonlight. For the super-sighted Robbie, this was no problem; but the others found themselves slipping and stumbling far more often than they would have liked.

"What exactly are we looking for, anyway?" asked André after stubbing his toe on a concealed rock for the umpteenth time.

"Anything suspicious," said Jade over her shoulder. "I can't put my finger on it, but those women are hiding _something_."

They slid down a little gully onto a broad, flat patch of earth. The tingling at the back of Jade's neck suddenly grew so intense that her eyes swam. "Here," she said. "Shapiro, use your magic X-ray vision." It was a command that brooked no argument.

"Yes ma'am." He stared at the earth with eagle-like intensity. "A thin layer of topsoil, recently turned. Under it…oh, dear God." A greenish pallor came over his face as he stumbled backward.

"What? What is it?"

"Bodies. Nothing but bodies. Stacked on top of each other. Still decomposing. And they all…they all have puncture wounds to the back of the neck, right at the top of the spinal cord."

"From a knife?" Even though she could not see what he saw, Jade found herself feeling sick as well.

"No, something thinner. Like a knitting needle, or…"

"A hairpin?"

They whirled toward the unexpected voice. Alexanassa stood atop the ledge from which they had just come. To either side of her, heavily armed guards took up battle positions – shields on their left arms, spears tilted upward and ready to thrust.

"It wasn't the most imposing weapon we could have chosen, I'll grant you, but it was very useful for the work we did. Smuggling a knife into bed is difficult, but a hairpin goes unnoticed – until you strike."

_Crud,_ thought Jade. _My prophetic mojo was so fixated on the bad vibes coming from the mass graves that it didn't pick up the ambush._

Still, she refused to allow herself to be intimidated. "You killed the men. All of them. Why?"

"They spurned us – brought home Thracian slave women to be their concubines. We, their loyal wives, were pushed aside. This could not be allowed to stand – so we struck, all at once, on the same night. Now the island is ours. But we must have children if our race is to continue, and so we must lie with men."

"The Argonauts," said Jade, realization dawning.

"Yes. And they will surely flee if they know what we have done – so you will not be permitted to warn them. Women of Lemnos – ATTACK!"

The four high-schoolers drew their swords and met the onslaught. Metal clashed with metal in the frenzied music of battle. At first they beat back their attackers with little difficulty, relying on their superior strength; but as more and more of the royal guard joined the fight, the sheer weight of bodies began to push the four back, and their sword arms grew weary.

"Beck!" cried Jade. "Shapeshift!"

"I don't know how!" he yelled back, while attempting to parry sword-thrusts on either flank.

"Just…think of some big scary animal! A dragon or something!"

"Here goes…" _Okay, Beck, you can do this. A dragon. What's a dragon like? Remember the storybooks: scaly, hulking body. Four limbs with powerful claws. Long tail. Twisting, slashing, gnashing its great jaws. Breathing fire…_

A vivid picture of the beast formed in his mind's eye; and with that, he could feel his flesh begin to change – expanding, hardening into scales. His human consciousness remained intact, but at the same time he was flooded with a primal ferocity that had nothing to do with reason. It spoke to him in staccato fashion: _Threat is here. Destroy threat. Destroy threat _now.

He opened his mouth and unleashed flame.

The Lemnians screamed and dashed for cover; those who were too slow found their wooden shields suddenly ablaze, and hurled them aside in their panic. The Beck-dragon lashed out with its claws, piercing bronze armor as if it were clay; snapped its tail around like a great whip, sweeping all before it. Jade, André and Robbie prudently stepped aside, and, letting their swords fall to their sides, watched the destruction unfold. Alexanassa, to her credit, held her ground, and was the last of them all to fall, trampled beneath the dragon's forepaws.

_Threat gone._

And as the bestial drive to destroy receded, his body returned to normal.

André clapped him on the shoulder. "Okay, dude, that was frickin' awesome. No two ways about it."

"Yeah," he panted. The shape-shifting process had drained much of his energy. "So, what now? Head back to the palace and warn Jason?"

"No," said Jade, deep in thought. "If there's going to be more fighting, we need to bring in the big guns."

/

Tori Vega was bored, pure and simple. As she paced back and forth before the prow of the _Argo_ for the umpteenth time, she imagined the joyous banquet that must surely be going on in the distant city. Trina and Cat had both dozed off already, leaning against the leeward side of the keel, and while she knew it would bring down Jason's wrath if he ever found out, Tori was sorely tempted to follow suit.

To her amazement, four figures came racing out of the darkness. _Friend or enemy?_ She tensed her muscles, prepared for a fight.

"Vega!" yelled the leader of the four, "get your lazy-ass sister and make yourself useful for a change!"

_Okay, it's Jade. So…both friend _and_ enemy, I guess._

She shook Trina's shoulder. "Hey, I think we've got trouble."

"Zzzz…wha? No, mom, I can't go to school until I find my mascara…zzz…"

_Desperate times call for desperate measures._ She knelt, took a deep breath, and yelled in Trina's ear, "SALE ON GUCCI!"

"AAAH! WHERE? WHERE? …Oh, it's just you. Don't _do_ that to me, dang it!"

Cat, already awakened by the ruckus, came bounding over. "Hey, I just had the best dream! I was dancing with some red velvet cupcakes, and they took me with them to the Moon, and it turned out that the Moon was full of kittens…"

"Yeah, that's nifty," Jade broke in. "Listen, the women here murdered all the men, and they're out for our blood now because we found out about their scheme. Beck went all dragony and took out the first wave, but there'll be more. We're gonna need Trina's muscle."

"All right," said Tori. "Cat, take to the air and keep an eye out. I'll go give Jason the heads up."

As frightening as the situation was, Tori was secretly pleased that she finally had a chance to unleash her incredible speed. Ever since she realized what she was capable of, she had been practicing in her spare time, mastering the finer points of maneuvering and dodging obstacles without reducing her lightning pace. Now, she barreled into the hills and through the city gate, then up the palace steps and through the labyrinthine corridors, never once breaking stride.

In the elaborately appointed royal bedchamber, Jason lay in Hypsipyle's arms, snoring loudly. The queen herself was wide awake, however; and when Tori whooshed into the room with a gust of wind that set the draperies flapping, Hypsipyle did not cry out or protest, but only nodded at her sadly. "You know, then."

"Yes."

"I saved him, you know. My husband, Thoas. When it was time to kill him, I couldn't go through with it. Instead, I…I hid him in a chest and set him adrift. I have no idea where he is now. What he would think if he saw me…"

Tori's anger softened just a little. "Look, it's not our place to punish you guys for…what you did. Just let us go in peace. There's been enough bloodshed today."

"…So be it."

/

The bulk of the next day's rowing duties fell to the seven of them, as the only members of the crew not suffering the aftereffects of a night of debauchery. Jason, for his part, remained hunched in the stern, complaining that the sun was too bright and would someone please ask Zeus to send clouds?

"Those were some pretty badass moves you unleashed yesterday, babe," said Jade to Beck, who was, of course, her partner on the rowing bench.

"Thanks. But…it's a little scary, losing control like that. I hope I don't have to go through it again anytime soon."

"…Yeah. Yeah, I hope so too." She quickly turned away so that he wouldn't see the expression on her face – for the tingling in the back of her neck had begun again.


	4. Catfight in the Sky

**Disclaimer: don't own.**

Cat Valentine loved the new power she had acquired. She never felt so free as when she soared through the early morning sky, letting the wind whip through the pinions of her wings, brushing the edges of clouds lit purple by the slowly approaching dawn.

And yet, she was afraid.

Unlike Jade, Beck, André and Robbie, she had yet to take part in pitched battle. She knew that she was powerful now and could fight; but every time she thought of actually having to _harm_ another person, she was filled with a consuming desire to be back in her bedroom, curled up under her cotton-candy pink sheets and hugging Mr. Longneck tight. _Why can't I just stay up in the clouds and never come down? Nobody wants to hurt anybody in the clouds. There's enough room for everyone to soar._

She had no intention of confessing any of her misgivings openly. Jason already held her in barely disguised contempt, and with the speed that gossip traveled on their tightly packed ship, he would eventually hear and pounce on any admission of weakness she might make.

Instead, she turned to the one person she knew that she could trust.

/

Night had fallen over the Aegean Sea. Only a few distant gulls and the rhythmic slap of gentle waves against the keel disturbed the absolute peace that had descended on the _Argo_. The air was warm and languid, with an occasional slight breeze that sent slender clouds drifting lazily past the waxing moon. Nearly all the crew were sleeping at their rowing benches; Argus in the stern kept a solitary vigil at the rudder (he took the night shift as helmsman so that Tiphys could rest), ready to cry out and awaken the men at the first sign of danger.

Cat was also awake; and she guessed that Jade would be as well. For Jade, Cat had noticed, slept as little as possible these days. She would lean back next to Beck, listen to his soft breathing, and stare into the night sky, but her eyes almost never closed. It almost seemed as though she refused to _let_ them close – why, Cat couldn't imagine. On the rare occasions when sleep did master her, she would inevitably jerk awake within a few minutes, gasping for breath, and in such a disturbed emotional state that no one, not even Beck, could comfort her.

The toll this state of affairs was taking on Jade was painfully obvious, and not only to Cat. The brunette spent most of her days in a near-trance, restricting her communication with others to snappish grunts. The dark circles under her eyes had grown huge, and her complexion sallow. Even Jason expressed his displeasure – not so much out of concern for Jade herself as due to his worry that her insomnia would diminish her combat skills in the event of another battle.

The tiny girl headed amidships. Her instincts were right – Jade was curled up, hands over her knees, her eyes focused at a point far off in the empty expanse of water.

"Jade?" she whispered. "Can I talk to you?"

It took a moment for Jade to heed Cat's presence. The look on her face when she finally turned away from the water suggested that she was astonished to be reminded that there were any other human beings in the world. Cat was almost frightened.

"…Sure, Cat. No problem."

She eased herself past the legs of the sleeping Beck and went with Cat to the prow. They leaned against the figurehead, their faces hidden from one another in shadow.

Cat was suddenly more worried about her friend than herself. "You're still not sleeping. What's wrong?"

Jade drew in a long breath. "…I'm having dreams. Such vivid dreams. And I know I'm supposed to be able to make sense of them, that's part of this whole 'prophet' business, but – it's a never-ending barrage of images, and sounds, and smells, and it just overwhelms me. And what I can filter out…it's not pleasant. At all. Honestly, sleeping is more exhausting than being awake now."

On impulse, Cat drew Jade toward her and gently kissed her cheek. "You'll figure it out. You always do. You're the strong one who keeps us together and tells us where to go."

Jade gave a mirthless chuckle. "And what about you, kitty cat? Are you just going to follow me everywhere that I say, even if I lead you off a cliff?"

"You would never do that…but yeah, I'd follow you. That's how much I admire you."

"You know something, Cat? I admire you too. You give me hope when I think there isn't any left. And for what it's worth – " she squeezed Cat's shoulder – "I trust you to choose your own path."

Cat wished that she could share that trust.

/

Their next stop was a town called Salmydessus on the Black Sea. This was said to be the home of one King Phineas, who could direct the _Argo_ to Colchis and warn them of any perils they might face, for – as Jason said, looking pointedly at Jade – "_he_ has _clear_ knowledge of all that is now and all that will come."

They found him on a little island off the coast, sitting in the open on a chalky cliff that fell away sharply to the sea. A sumptuous banquet was spread out before him on wooden tables, making Cat's mouth water; but he refused to touch it, remaining sullen and still on his golden throne.

As they approached, Cat was shocked by his appearance. So thin was he that his ribs were clearly visible through his flesh, and his arms and legs, emaciated to the point that a child's hand could have encircled them, dangled awkwardly. His white hair was falling out in great clumps, and his eyes showed the telltale yellow of jaundice. They were covered with a milky film, too – Cat realized that he was blind.

He turned in the direction of the Argonauts' footfalls. "Who goes there?"

"It is I, Jason…" And the standard introduction followed. "We have been told that your knowledge is essential to the completion of our quest. Will you share with us your insights, o seer?"

"I would…but I am so hungry. The pain clouds my inner vision. Only help me to have a decent meal, and I shall tell you all that you need to know."

Jason furrowed his brow. "I see a feast fit for the greatest lords of Asia lying before you. How can you still be hungry?"

"See." He reached forward and felt on the table for a piece of lamb's meat.

The moment his aged fingers made contact, the Argonauts were terrified by a crazed shriek in the sky. Out of the sun dived three bizarre creatures. Their faces and torsos were those of beautiful young women, but they had the lower bodies and broad wings of vultures.

Skimming over the table, they opened their mouths and exhaled a green gas. Its stench was so intense that Cat, standing yards away, began to retch. A pea-soup cloud formed over the food, withering and blackening it. When they ascended again and the cloud lifted, all that remained on the many serving-dishes was smoldering ash.

"Gods above," murmured Jason.

"It is my punishment from Zeus for being too free with my prophetic gift," the old man explained. "Though surrounded by abundance, I must forever starve, tormented by those monsters, the Harpies."

The leader of the Argonauts puffed out his chest. "Fear not, elder. We shall rid you of this plague. You! Scarlet-haired girl whose mouth never ceases its motion! You will use your gift of flight to subdue the Harpies!"

All her friends looked at Cat with apprehension. She had broken into a cold sweat. "Um…okay…if you think I can do it…"

He bent down to look her in the face. "Whether you can do it, I know not. But this I _do_ know: if you fail, your usefulness to the _Argo_ is at an end, and we shall discover whether you swim as well as you fly. Is that clear?"

_Gulp._ "Clear as crystal."

"Excellent. Reset the table!" Jason cried. "It is time to set a trap."

/

A new feast had been laid out, even more resplendent than the one before. The Argonauts concealed themselves in the nearby crags, watching the heavens.

Phineas reached for a loaf of bread.

"!" The three Harpies came down out of nowhere like feathered thunderbolts.

"NOW!" Bursting from cover, Jason and his men let fly with spears and arrows, throwing the creatures into confusion. They wheeled about and withdrew toward the clouds.

"Pursue, little one!"

Squeezing her eyes tightly to try and block out her fear, Cat lifted off. High above the island, she halted her ascent and hovered, wings flapping, to discover that the three Harpies – now safely out of arrow range, and so free from any fear – were waiting for her.

The eldest of the three smirked. "How are you called, child?"

"I…I'm Cat. Nice to…meet you?"

"A cat, are you? Normally it is the _cat_ that eats the _bird_, but I think the situation will be reversed today. I am Aello, the Tempest, and these are my sisters."

"Hi, Aello. Could you please not bother Phineas any more? What you're doing to him isn't…very nice…" Her throat had gone completely dry.

The Harpy's voice lowered to a menacing whisper. "We are the heaven-sent vengeance of Zeus, child. Do you really think you can hope to fight us?" She and her sisters raised their talons.

Cat turned and fled.

Tears of shame stung her eyes. _I can't do this. I can't I can't I can't. They won't be nice, so I have to be mean, and I don't know how to be mean._

Aello and her sisters were laughing – or, more precisely, cackling. "What's the matter, little one? Don't you want to dance with us? Your flesh is so lovely – let us tear it from your bones!"

The chase continued toward the setting sun. No matter how Cat dodged and weaved, the Harpies remained at her heels, sometimes coming close enough to snatch at her feet. She felt herself beginning to tire. _Maybe I should just give up and let them tear me apart. I'm not fit to be here, surrounded by the world's mightiest warriors. I'm just a girl. A useless little girl._

_But…_

She thought of the withered old man below: his stomach, wracked by stinging pains, his limbs, shrinking to nothing, his yellowed eyes.

_If I die, Phineas will go on suffering and starving. And I can't let that happen._

_I have to believe what Jade said. She's the strongest person I've ever known; she's only seventeen years old, she's already had so much awful stuff happen to her, and she's never let it break her. And __she__ admires __me__. Which has to mean that…_

_I'm not weak._

_I am not __**WEAK!**_

She slowed the pace of her flight drastically. Bending her head and shoulders back, she launched herself into a long, sweeping back-flip, as elegant as an Olympic platform diver. The oncoming Harpies were caught completely off guard and had no time to adjust their flight path.

She completed her flip and resumed her horizontal position. The middle of the three Harpies was dead ahead, only just now turning about to face her.

Cat summoned every iota of power she possessed and shot forward. The Harpy completed her turn just in time to watch in horror as the little redhead slammed both fists into her sternum.

"Ooof!" The impact sent the bird-woman sprawling, spinning out of control down through the air. She tried desperately to regain control of her descent, but it was too late; she struck the water with a resounding splash.

Cat had no intention of giving the other two time to prepare themselves. As soon as she had struck her first foe, she dove off to her right like a fighter aircraft breaking formation and elbowed the second Harpy full in the face. Her head snapped back, blood dripped from her nose; as she went into a precipitous tailspin, the pain forced her into unconsciousness – perhaps mercifully, for she did not feel the sting of thorns and snap of whipping branches against her bare flesh as the trees of the island below caught her fall.

_Only one left._ Cat came about, but she was unprepared for Aello's ferocity; the sight of her fallen sisters had filled the Harpy with a berserker fury that carried all before it. She backhanded Cat across the face, then entered into a hawk-like dive with her talons forward and targeted at the small girl's eyes.

"No!" With a supreme effort, the still stunned Cat seized both of Aello's feet, the wicked talons only millimeters from her face.

"I am sick of your interference, girl!" The stench of the Harpy's breath so close to her made Cat's stomach churn. "Tell the shades of Tartarus that it was Aello who sent you there!" She began to strike the sides of Cat's head with her powerful wings.

But Cat wasn't done yet. She still retained her death grip on the creature's feet, and she knew how to exploit it. Spinning herself lengthwise in a tight circle, she whipped the Harpy around, down, up – and hurled her into the clouds. Aello screamed. Taking off in pursuit, Cat straddled her enemy's back and clamped her hands over Aello's eyes.

"Get _off_ me, human, or you'll kill us both!" The Harpy thrashed about violently, but Cat would not relent. Desperate, Aello went into another dive, hoping that Cat's fear of crashing would force her to let go. No such luck.

"This is fun!" cried the redhead. "Wheeee!"

"You're insane!"

"That's what my therapist says too! Yee-haaaa!"

A mountainous island rushed up to meet them. Cat could feel the Harpy's panicked sweat beneath her fingers.

"I'm begging you, child! In the name of Zeus, let GO!"

Cat grinned.

" 'Kay 'kay."

She let go – and delivered a ferocious stomping kick with both feet to Aello's back. The Harpy struck the ground hard, careening onward even after she had made contact, sending up sprays of dirt and dust. By the time her beaten body came to a stop, she had plowed an impressive furrow in the landscape.

But, amazingly, she still breathed. Cat, seeing this, landed beside her and knelt to look her in the eye.

"You're going to leave that poor Mr. Phineas alone from now on, aren't you?"

When the Harpy at last spoke, her voice was raspy and wheezing. "…Yes."

"Your sisters, too – if they're still alive." A new, steely tone of command underlay Cat's cheerful voice.

"Yes, child. We will trouble Phineas no longer. You have my word."

"Great. It was nice playing with you!" And she took off into the sky.

/

"You must pass through the Clashing Rocks to reach the kingdom of Aeetes. When you approach, release a dove. If the rocks come together and the bird is crushed, halt your progress; if it succeeds in passing between the rocks, it will be safe to proceed."

Jason shook the old man's hand. "Your help has been invaluable. Fare you well." He turned to Cat. "Your help, too, was exemplary, strange red-headed one. It is a boon to have you among my crew."

She blushed.

Jade clapped her on the back. "You done good, kiddo."

And those four simple words instilled a feeling of pride in her that she had never before known.


	5. Two Rocks and a Hard Place

**A/N: Again, this is…less than impressive. My apologies – I'm very much stuck on where to go with this accursed story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Victorious**_**, and the sea chanties used herein are public domain (huzzah!)**

If Cat Valentine had initially possessed the ability to fight but not the will, André Harris found himself now bedeviled by the opposite problem. Before this adventure, he had been by far the strongest and most physically capable of the group of friends; he was a peace-loving man by nature, and certainly didn't seek confrontation, but it provided him with a quiet sense of self-satisfaction to know that his friends – and especially Tori – would look to him to protect them if the going ever got rough. Now they all possessed heightened combat skills and amazing powers, while he occupied the place of Orpheus – a singer, not a fighter, who had joined the expedition of the _Argo_ chiefly to provide moral support – and was the weakest warrior of the seven. The one time he engaged in pitched battle – against the forces of the Lemnian women – he had barely managed to hold his own, and found himself tiring while Beck, Robbie, and Jade were still slicing great swathes of destruction through their enemies with gusto.

When Tori had told him "You're pretty much what you were already", he initially took it as a compliment (which, of course, was how Tori had meant it). Now, in spite of all reason, he couldn't help but feel that it was actually a condemnation.

Every day he sang for the rowers, helping them to co-ordinate their strokes as they plowed the sea with their oars. But now his worries were creeping into his music, making his songs less energetic, more dispirited; and correspondingly, the _Argo_'s progress was growing slower day by day. Still, the beauty of his voice and the skill of his fingers as they plied the lyre's strings remained undiminished; and he was sure no one had noticed his inner turmoil.

He was wrong.

As he finished the last bars of the "Skye Boat Song" (his nautical repertoire was limited, and he had long since run out of suitable sea chanties) and laid down his lyre, a slender, warm pair of bare arms encircled him from behind. Lips brushed against the back of his neck.

"What's wrong, 'Dré? Talk to me."

Despite his gloomy mood, he smiled. How did she always manage to read his mind? "Nothin' much to talk about, _muchacha._ Tryin' to think of what to put on tomorrow's program – what do you suppose Jason would think about 'Song to You'? He might not get the whole 'drive the sickest car' bit…maybe if I changed it to 'chariot'…"

"Please don't change the subject." Tori's voice took on an undertone of urgency. She pulled him around gently by the shoulders so that he faced her, and the concern in her brown eyes immediately broke through the wall of nonchalance he had put up around himself.

"…Tell me, baby, is this all I'm ever gonna be? The background entertainment? Elevator music of the Seven Seas? All of you – you've left me so far behind."

"You keep us going. You know that. Through the rough seas and the dark nights, when we feel so tired that we're about to collapse at our benches – you get us through. You're our heart." She drew him closer. "You're _my_ heart."

He welcomed the words; but still he was not fully satisfied.

Their embrace was disrupted by the distant sound of a low thunderclap. Andre instinctively scanned the sky. It was perfectly clear, a crystal-bright blue in every direction, the sun high overhead. "What the…"

Robbie, in the prow, had been staring ahead with the intensity of a radar beacon. Now he pointed into the distance and cried out, "Symplegades ahoy!"

Everyone on the ship instinctively shuddered. The Symplegades – the Clashing Rocks – the bane of travelers in the eastern Mediterranean. The second part of their name was misleading – they were so vast as to be more oceanic mountains than "rocks" – but the first was horribly accurate: though normally they stood far apart, so that a vessel could easily pass between them, every few minutes they would suddenly slam together, reducing to paste any creature unlucky enough to be caught in the middle.

Jason alone was unperturbed. He stood alongside Robbie with a squawking and struggling dove in his hands, ever mindful of Phineas' prophecy. When the great rocks came in sight, he released it.

The crew watched, breathless. At first the bird's flight was straight as an arrow and unobstructed, but when it was nearly out of the fatal channel, the twin mountains began to move.

"Hurry, little birdie! Hurry!" Cat cried.

The dove beat its wings with mad fury, but the channel had already narrowed to almost nothing.

"No…" whispered André.

With one last surge of power, it emerged into the open. Behind it the rocks struck together; and now that the vessel was so near, the resulting sound was not a dull thud but a deafening roar, accompanied by a tidal wave that buffeted and nearly swamped the _Argo._

When the sting of salt water had left André's eyes, he looked up to see the dove winging away – only missing its tail feathers. The rocks were once more separated by a watery expanse, unmoving.

"The signs are favorable," bellowed Jason. "We go! Man of the velvet voice, speed us on our way!"

And so Tori, reluctantly, slipped from Andre's arms and resumed her seat at the oar alongside Trina. André began to sing – a melody he had used before many times, but then he didn't much care to experiment in these circumstances.

_Heel y'ho boys, let her go, boys_

_Bring her head round now all together_

_Heel y'ho boys, let her go boys_

_Sailing homeward to Mingulay!_

_What care we tho' white the Minch is_

_What care we for wind and weather?_

_Let her go boys, every inch is_

_Wearing homeward to Mingulay!_

With each note, a new vigor entered the churning arms of the _Argo_'s crew; and André felt some comfort.

_But is this all that I can do?_

They entered the perilous strait. Instantly darkness fell over the ship as the southernmost of the two looming rocks blocked the sun from view. André could sense the general feeling of fear, the almost imperceptible hiccup in the vessel's hitherto smooth progress. He switched to a more energetic tune.

_When I was a little boy so my mother told me, to me  
>Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe<em>

_That if I did not kiss the girls, my lips would all grow moldy, to me_  
><em>Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe<em>

The collective hesitation passed, and they surged forward. André slowly let out his breath. _We're gonna make it. I really think we're gonna…_

_Did that shadow just _move?

He prayed, silently but fervently, that it was his imagination. No such luck; for keen-eyed Robbie had detected the motion too, and shouted out a warning. The two rocks had uprooted themselves from their resting places in the seabed and were advancing upon one another; and the _Argo_ was not yet halfway through.

_Oh, shit._

He racked his brain for something, anything, that would put fire into the crew. But the adrenaline rush that fear had instilled in them was already doing that – and still it would not be enough. The stone behemoths were so near now that André could almost feel the pressure on the ship's sides. Its fir planks would scarcely be able to hold out for long.

And then he remembered Jason's words:

"You have replaced Orpheus, the bard, deft with any instrument of music, whose song can calm the wild beasts and summon rocks and trees to listen."

_Wait a minute. Wild beasts…_

_Time to improvise._

Through sheer force of will, he stripped all the anguish that he felt from his voice and began to sing once more, in the most melodious, dulcet tones he could command:

"_Come, my brothers of the sea_

_From the deep, attend to me,_

_Save us on this frightful day,_

_Speed us swiftly on our way…"_

For a long, terrible moment, nothing happened. André was sure his desperate gambit had failed. _Oh, God – I've doomed us all._

Then, in one smooth motion, the ship lifted out of the water.

"What in Tartarus?" yelled Jason.

The crew peered over the sides.

A motley array of sea creatures were beneath the keel. Dolphins, octopi, squids, fish of every description in gargantuan schools – all bearing the vessel on their backs. They carried the _Argo _through the remaining stretch with the swiftness and surety of a javelin in flight.

The great rocks slammed together at last, inches behind the _Argo_'s stern.

A mighty cheer arose from all and sundry. "You just invented the hovercraft, baby!" Tori whooped in exultation.

_Well, well, well,_ thought André. _Maybe I don't have to be the toughest fighter on the block to be badass. _Dropping his lyre to the deck, he sprinted toward Tori, arms spread wide to embrace her and spin her about.

"Colchis off the port bow!" Robbie cried.


	6. Beautiful Dreamer

Jade West had never been one for bird-watching, but now she realized, to her chagrin, that she had somehow turned into John James freakin' Audubon.

She had the perfect vantage point. A headland jutted out, majestic and isolated, from the Colchian mainland, with a sheer two hundred foot drop down to a vast semicircular bay in which the waters of the Black Sea roiled; it was on the edge of this great outcropping that she sat, cross-legged, ignoring the rough scrub that cut her legs and the various insects that crawled around and over her. Nearly every inch of her was sunburned by now, but even this pain was not enough to distract her from her task.

Birds were everywhere in her field of vision. Sparrows plumbed the dirt for earthworms near her feet. To her left, a flock of buzzards descended on a fresh carcass. To her right, a solitary hawk skimmed along the horizon on some self-appointed mission. Far out over the water, almost at the limits of her vision, two seagulls circled one another, preparatory to a fight, or perhaps a courtship, she really couldn't tell.

_But what does it all __**mean?**_

There had to be some system, some complex pattern, that she could map onto this seemingly chaotic mass of movement – something that would allow her to extrapolate the things to come. Idmon had been able to do this, or so Jason insisted; so why couldn't she? If she couldn't divine through birds, she would have to fall back on her dreams – and dreaming was not a very enjoyable activity for Jade just now.

She sighed and attempted to stand up, but found herself betrayed by shaky and tingling legs. _Geez, just how long have I been sitting here? _Already the sun was setting, the west tinged with purple and red.

"How's it going?"

Jade looked over her shoulder. _Oh, joy._ "Not really your business, is it, Vega?"

"I was just curious. You don't always have to snap at me, you know." Tori, much to Jade's annoyance, had not been burned by the relentless Mediterranean sun, but had instead tanned to a golden brown that somehow made her even more beautiful than she had been before. _Just one more thing where she outdoes me without even trying._

"Where's Jason?" Jade asked curtly.

"He and Medea are off making smoochy-smoochy in the grove of Hecate. I think he's trying to sweet-talk her into helping him get his hands on the Fleece. …Hey, are you okay?" Tori tried to place her hand on Jade's shoulder, but withdrew it instantly when the shorter girl winced in pain. "Sunburn still bothering you?"

"Not as much as you are. Can't you sprint off to, you know, Timbuktu or somewhere? Or maybe China. I've got a real craving for kung pao chicken just now, if you want to pick me up some."

"Yeeeeah, I'll get right on that." Tori followed Jade's gaze out to sea. "I never get tired of the sheer beauty of it, you know? At times like this, I'm actually almost _glad_ you got us stuck here."

"_Me?_ Now listen here…oh, forget it." A great weariness had suddenly come over Jade. "It doesn't matter."

Tori's eyes grew wide. "Jade West turning down a chance for a verbal sparring match? Okay, something must be seriously wrong."

Jade was silent for a moment, then at last replied, "What do you see when you dream?"

"When I dream?" Tori's brow wrinkled in puzzlement. "All kinds of jumbled stuff. Memories of my grandma, and Trina yelling at me, and funny shapes and colors. Oh, and sometimes I find myself naked in wood shop. Which is odd, because I've never taken wood shop."

"What about your nightmares?"

"I only ever have one. I don't know why. I'm standing alone on this huge, dark plain, and I can't see or hear anything in front of me, but I can feel these…faces…breathing on the back of my neck. I try to turn around and look at them, but I'm frozen, like a mannequin. And somehow I know that they're just waiting to pounce on me and sink their teeth into my flesh."

"Do they?"

"I always wake up before that point." Tori shrugged. "Dreams are so frickin' weird."

Almost in a whisper, Jade replied, "Well, Vega, that's one point where I actually have to agree with you."

The Goth was horrified to realize that tears had actually materialized at the corners of her eyes. She quickly turned away to keep Tori from seeing her in such a moment of weakness.

The Latina was momentarily flustered, but swiftly recovered and clapped her hands. "Hey! You know what? You need a good distraction. Let's do a little combat training!"

_Does she always have to be so damn perky? …Oh, hell, maybe perky isn't so bad right now._ "All right, Lady Whizzer, you're on. Show me your fancy moves."

"Okay, for the last time, I am **not** picking 'Lady Whizzer' as my superhero name!"

"Well, it's either that or Flashette."

"Ugh! Just get ready, will you?"

"Fine, fine." Jade assumed a combat stance and tensed her muscles.

Tori took off. Much as it pained Jade to give her arch-nemesis compliments, or even to think them, she couldn't deny that she felt a sense of awe whenever she witnessed Tori's incredible speed and grace. It was as if the Latina were made entirely of tightly coiled springs that were released all at once.

Around and around the cliff Tori ran, in ever tighter circles. Jade tried to keep her eyes on the sprinting form, but all she could make out was a blur. _Any second now she's going to strike, and you're not going to be able to dodge. You are so screwed, West…_

Without fully understanding why, she closed her eyes. A strikingly clear image materialized in her mind – Tori's fist aiming for her midsection.

Instinct took over, and she dropped her arm to block.

Flesh collided with flesh. Jade's eyes shot open, and she looked down – to see that she had successfully intercepted the blow. Tori was staring at her, utterly stunned. "How in the hell did you _do_ that?"

"I don't know. I just…sensed…what you were going to do, and reacted."

Tori bubbled over with delight. "That's _incredible!_ Do you realize what an effective skill that could be in combat? If you practice enough, you'll be able to anticipate your enemy's every move!"

For the first time that day, Jade's gloomy mood began to lighten. "I guess it does have possibilities, doesn't it?"

"Wait, wait. Is Jadelyn August West about to…_smile?_ Somebody alert the news media!"

"Oh, can it, Little Miss Speed Queen." But all Jade's efforts could not keep the corners of her mouth from turning up ever so slightly.

/

Supper was heavy – roast lamb and stuffed grape leaves – and the air comfortably cool; and so Jade, in her tent, decided, against her better judgment, to give in to sleep this night.

At first, half-digested memories of the day deluged her, as per usual. They gave way to slightly more persistent, more comforting images: Beck running his fingers through her hair, Cat pirouetting on the beach and lifting off into the air, the rhythmic slap of waves on a rocky beach. But then, in the space of an instant, all of this mental detritus vanished, as surely as if some great hand had taken a broom and swept out every corner of her mind.

She was standing on the steps of a vast temple, with jet-black night surrounding her on all sides. Before her stood two tall, ponderous marble columns in the Doric order, brightly painted with red ochre; behind them was an inner building, presumably the cella in which the statue of the god or goddess was concealed.

As she watched, the great bronze doors of the cella swung open, and a figure glided out. It was an astonishingly beautiful gray-eyed woman, nearly twelve feet tall, clad in bronze armor and crested helmet, bearing a spear and shield. The edges of her figure were marked by a blazing light, almost painful to look upon. On her breastplate was engraved the image of a hideous head, sprouting snakes in every direction.

Jade fell to her knees and bowed her head down to the ground. "Mistress Athena, I am unworthy of your presence."

"Arise, my paladin," said the figure, in a tone that seemed to be at one and the same time high-pitched and profoundly deep, one voice and many. Hesitantly, Jade obeyed, but kept her eyes shielded.

"The time is near when you and your allies will go forth in my name, and defend the race of men from its greatest threat. Know that I will be with you, and my blessing is upon you, no matter how dark the hour may seem."

"You mean that we will have to fight for the Golden Fleece?"

The figure tilted its head back – the Greek equivalent of shaking one's head "no" – and the movement made all the earth and sky shudder. "That battle lies in the hands of others. _Your_ quest is far distant in space and time – but also nearer than you can imagine. The path will not be easy, but in the end, you will lead your friends to victory – and your hitherto most hated foe will prove your staunchest ally in the struggle."

Suddenly, the goddess swept forward and embraced Jade. Despite the nigh-unbearable brightness and the tremendous strength of Athena's grip, Jade felt a profound sense of calm, as if she were being swallowed up in a realm of perfect and eternal bliss.

She awoke.

Silently, she wriggled out of her tent. Dawn was still far off, and the stars watched over her sleeping crewmates.

Alone and barefoot, she padded along the narrow strip of sand that separated the rocky coast from the sea. _What on earth was that? A dream, or real? It certainly _felt_ real. And why did the goddess have to talk in riddles? A quest that's both far away and near? An enemy who becomes my closest ally? That doesn't make any-_

She froze in her tracks.

_No._

_Not her._

_No way, José._

Jade West turned, slowly, so very slowly, and looked back along the beach to the little tent in which Tori Vega lay slumbering.

And, shattering the perfect stillness, she spoke aloud:

"Aw, **crap.**"


	7. Rodeo Time!

**Disclaimer: don't own.**

Nearly all the men, women, and children of Colchis had gathered on the broad plain outside their city's east wall to watch what was sure to be an epic spectacle. In their center sat King Aeetes, a gray-haired and gray-bearded but still vigorous man who gripped the arms of his golden throne with long and powerful fingers. His daughter Medea, a raven-haired beauty with bright red lips and strikingly pale, porcelain skin, stood at his right hand, masking her anxiousness with supreme self-control.

In the center of the unplowed plain, two gargantuan bulls pawed impatiently at the earth and snorted. No ordinary cattle, the bulls were the creation of the smith-god Hephaestus, given to Aeetes by his father Helios, the Sun-god. Their hides were golden, their hooves of solid bronze – and from their vast nostrils fire spurted with every breath. It was Aeetes' command to Jason that he yoke these bulls – neither of which had ever known the plowshare – and plow the earth, then sow it with dragon's teeth, from which mighty warriors would spring whom Jason would be compelled to fight. Only after completing these seemingly impossible tasks would the young Thessalian prince be allowed to depart with the Golden Fleece.

Off to one side, where the Argonauts stood in a little cluster, said prince was – not to put too fine a point on it – freaking out. He paced back and forth and wrung his hands convulsively, muttering to himself a string of indistinguishable syllables broken occasionally by very jarring profanities.

"Would you knock it _off_ already?" snapped Jade. "Medea worked her herbal mojo on you, didn't she? The bulls' fire-breath can't harm you, and they'll submit to your touch without a fight, so you've got absolutely no reason to worry."

"The sorceress did make such a promise, but how can I be certain the unguent will succeed? What if she prepared it incorrectly? Or what if she has deceived me, and all her protestations of love are feints made at the prompting of her father to lure me into destruction?"

_Time to light a fire under him,_ Jade thought. She said, in a mocking, sing-song tone, "What if, what if, what if. God, for a mythological hero, you're such a wuss. Forget about wrestling bulls – you couldn't even take down a two-day-old calf, could you?"

Rage swelled in him, making a blood vessel in his forehead stand out and palpably throb. "I will _not_ have my bravery impugned by the likes of _you_! Stand aside, wench!" He gave her a rude shove and strode forward toward the fearsome bulls, which, out of sheer boredom, had begun to lock horns and tussle with each other.

One of the pair spotted Jason in the corner of his eye, and turned to face him. The creature opened its mouth wide and unleashed a stream of flame that baked the earth before it to a crisp, then tensed its forequarters and prepared to charge. Its compatriot did likewise.

Jason, seeing this aggressive display, froze in his tracks. "I…um…I may need a bit more unguent. The heat of the day is making me sweat far too much, you see, and it's all running off. Just a bit more, and I'll be ready to go. And…I'll go get it…right over there…bye now!" He turned tail and sprinted into the distance, as the watching Colchians burst into raucous laughter and catcalls. Only Medea remained silent, but her clouded eyes betrayed her dismay and embarrassment on her lover's behalf.

The seven Hollywood Arts students were no less distraught. "Well, so much for the Fleece – and getting home," muttered Robbie.

"It's not over yet!" The force of Jade's outburst stunned everyone in earshot, herself included. _When exactly did I get so passionate about leading?_ "…Look, if Jason isn't up to the task, we'll just have to pick up the slack ourselves. Where's Trina?"

The elder Vega sister had wandered a few yards away from her friends, and was fiddling with her left sandal. "I swear, there's just no way to fix these things that doesn't make my ankles look puffy. Can't somebody invent high heels already?"

Jade sighed. "_Focus_, bubblehead. You've got unbelievable strength – a hell of a lot more than Jason, that's for sure – and you're as tough as iron to boot. Why don't you have a go at yoking those bulls?"

"And mess up my hair? I don't think so. It's bad enough that I can't get ahold of a good conditioner here – you think I'm going to roll around in the dirt and muddy up my scalp?"

Tori groaned, turned and yelled into the crowd, "Anybody want to trade sisters?"

_All right, desperate times call for desperate measures._ Jade slowly opened her palm.

Trina gasped. "Is that…is that what I think it is?"

"Yup. A tube of lipstick. I had it in my pocket when we arrived, and I've been saving it ever since."

"GIMME! Gimme gimme gimme!" Trina snatched for it, but Jade yanked her hand away.

"You get it _after_ you yoke the bulls."

"Aw, darn it…" Trina silently weighed her options: on the one hand, freedom from mortal danger; on the other, access to cosmetics. At last she clenched her fists in determination and cried, "Let me at those overgrown hamburgers!"

"_That's_ the spirit!" Jade stood aside as Trina charged into the fray. The first bull immediately reared, and warning smoke began to pour from its nostrils; but before it could follow the smoke with actual flame, Trina seized its face and blocked its nose with her hands. Jade could tell from Trina's wincing that the convection heat she faced was painful indeed, probably blistering her palms; but, to the elder Vega's credit, she refused to relent. At last, the creature tore itself from her deadly grip and gasped for air. Trina seized the opportunity and struck the bull with a mighty uppercut, sending it sprawling. The other animal, infuriated, charged at her from the right, but she spun about in time and intercepted it, wrapping her arms around its midsection and halting its forward motion.

As Trina energetically grappled with the two bulls, Robbie pointed into the far distance, where the sky met the horizon line. "Do you see that?"

"Uh, dude? You're the one with the super eyesight, remember? Of _course_ we can't see…" Jade stopped as she realized what Robbie meant – for, while the phenomenon had been imperceptible to her naked eye before, it was now growing exponentially and impossible to miss, even if it was also impossible to believe.

Fissures were appearing in the sky. It was as if the heavens were a porcelain bowl which some giant was tapping all over its surface with a ballpeen hammer; with every blow, a web of cracks radiated outward.

Jade looked back to Trina. The powerful Latina had just downed the smaller of the two bulls with a well-timed elbow strike, and gave a shout of triumph. The Goth turned her gaze to the sky once more; the rate of fissuring was accelerating.

_This doesn't make any sense at all. It's like the whole world is…_breaking_ somehow. And the closer Trina comes to winning, the faster it breaks…_

_Wait a minute._

"Robbie," she asked slowly, "Do you know any telling of the Argonaut myth where Heracles yokes the bulls of the Sun instead of Jason?"

The frizzy-haired youth, who was standing at her left elbow, thought for a moment. "Um…no. Every version I can think of explicitly says that Jason carried out all the trials of Aeetes, with Medea's help. In fact, come to think of it, usually Heracles isn't even _with_ the Argonauts this late in the story. He gets left behind – sometimes it's because he's too heavy and he threatens to swamp the ship just by being on it, sometimes he runs off to chase after his boyfriend Hyllas after Hyllas gets abducted by water nymphs. After all, the storytellers had to have _some_ reason why a mediocre guy like Jason gets to save the day and bring back the Fleece, instead of the world's mightiest hero."

"Okay…" Jade could not shake a growing feeling that something was wrong, terribly wrong. She didn't know precisely what, but somehow she knew that Robbie's words were the key to it all.

Suddenly, as she stared at the horizon, her vision split in two. In her left eye was the world she knew – marred by the strange cracks in the sky, but otherwise whole. In the right was the same landscape, but transformed into a scene of hellish horror. The dome of the sky had fallen completely, leaving only a black void, and shards of blue drifted in a tumultuous blood-red sea. The earth was riven with fissures from which poured great streams of lava; everywhere and everything they touched, stone, plant, animal – or human – was instantly reduced to steaming cinders. At last all the world was one great ash-heap; and then a mighty wind arose that swept it upward in spirals and out of sight. Nothing remained above or below Jade but the abyss, and silence.

As she cried out in terror, startling her friends, her eyesight returned to normal. The earth was restored, and the blue heavens as well – but the cracks were still there, and broadening.

_Only Jason ever yokes the bulls…_

"STOP!" She ran forward into the open, flailing her arms about wildly, ignoring the Colchians' baffled looks. "Trina! Stop it NOW!"

One bull was already unconscious; Trina was sitting astride the other and had her arms locked around its neck, while it struggled desperately in her grip, trying in vain to throw her off. "Okay, you're the one who…_unnngh_…who told me to do this, and now you want me to…._nnngh_…let _go_? Make up your dang mind already!"

"You don't understand! You have to let Jason do it! Otherwise you'll destroy everything!"

"But…oh, fine. Whatever." The older girl dismounted, leaving the bull to roar and buck about in the field.

Jade looked about frantically until she spotted a small scarlet-haired figure in the midst of the throng of sailors. "Cat! Go find Captain Chicken, and bring him back here ASAP!"

"You don't have to spell it out for me," Cat said huffily. "I _know_ what an asap is."

"_What_? There's no such thing as – gaah! Just go!"

The men who stood around Cat leapt to the side to give her room as she unfurled her wings and soared into the sky. Gliding on the air currents, she spotted the captain of the _Argo_ huddled in a nearby glade, his chin resting on his knees. As she descended, she heard him whimpering to himself: "Of course I _could_ do it. But why take the risk? What if I were to die and leave the crew without a leader? Why, they should commend me for having the good sense to run away!"

Being so absorbed in his self-condolences, he failed to hear Cat's graceful approach until she suddenly hooked her arms around his chest and lifted him into the air. "Put me _down,_ manic one! Put me down, I say! How _dare_ you defy your captain?"

"Wow, you're almost as noisy as my brother was when my parents told him they were sending him to obedience school! Tee hee hee!"

She lowered the thoroughly flustered Jason down onto the plain. As soon as his feet touched earth, he turned to flee once more, but found Tori and Jade blocking his path. His hand went to the hilt of the sword that hung at his hip – but, with a blur of motion, the sword was in the Latina's hands instead.

"Nuh uh," said the Goth, crossing her arms. "You're not leaving until you yoke those bulls and plow this field."

"_Everyone_ defies me today! My authority is in tatters! I shall be the laughing stock of all Thessaly!"

Jade strode forward and poked his chest with her index finger. "You _really_ wanna fix your reputation, testosterone boy? Then get. To. Work."

"Blast you, woman of the prickly tongue! Your logic is…" He sighed heavily. "…irrefutable. So be it."

Turning, Jason advanced toward the two ferocious bulls. Almost immediately the nearer of the pair snorted fire that raked Jason's bare chest and biceps, making him cringe in terror – but Medea was as good as her word, and the herbs she had applied to his body deflected the flame without any harm to him. His confidence now restored, he hefted the heavy yoke and dashed forward, slamming it down onto the shocked bulls' necks; as soon as he touched them, their knees buckled, and they made no attempt to resist, thanks, once again, to the sorceress' magic. The fickle crowd that had booed him only a few minutes before now cheered wildly, while Medea smiled and Aeetes gaped in shock and dismay.

The cracks in the sky silently resealed themselves. Jade let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay," said the sweaty and dirt-covered Trina, "you wanna tell us what's going on?"

"You were breaking the boundaries of the myth," Jade explained. "I think we all have a certain degree of flexibility in what we can do here – André was able to charm the dolphins and get us through the Clashing Rocks, for example, because that's Orpheus' proper job – but we can't stretch things too far. No matter what version of the story you're reading, Heracles never yokes the golden bulls, only Jason – so when you tried to usurp his role, the myth-world started to shatter. If you had succeeded in subduing them, it would have been the end of everything."

Trina's face went completely white. "…Oops."

"Well, this is just great," said Tori. "It's not enough that we have to face all these deadly perils – now we have to make sure that we don't cause the freaking _apocalypse_ by facing the _wrong_ perils."

"Relax, Vega," Jade replied. "Maybe we'll be able to turn that disadvantage into an advantage somewhere down the road."

/

When Jason had successfully plowed the field with the twin fire-breathing bulls, he proceeded to the next step of Aeetes' challenge and sowed the furrows with serpent's teeth, from which, just as had been prophesied, rows of fully armored warriors promptly sprung. As per Medea's instructions, he hurled a stone at one of their number, which immediately set them to fighting amongst themselves until all had fallen. But Aeetes, violating his word, refused to hand over the Fleece; and so the desperate Jason met Medea that night in the grove of Hecate once again.

She withdrew a clay flask from her cloak. Inside was a peculiar greenish liquid that bubbled and frothed with great abandon. A whiff of its musky odor reached Jason's nose, and he found himself flooded with a powerful urge to sleep.

"Wake up, my love," said Medea sharply. "This is to be used on the dragon that guards the Fleece – not on you."

"Again you have come to my rescue in my hour of need." Jason cupped her face in his hands and kissed her pale brow. "When we return to Pagasae, I shall make you my queen, and all the Achaeans will hail you as their savior."

"Words cannot express how I long for that day to come," she replied. "But there is one other matter before we go to enchant the dragon – those strange seven members of your crew continue to pester me to return them to their far-away home. Would you have me obey them, or no?"

His face darkened. "No. Never."

"But…I was given to understand that you would give them leave to depart once they had served you on your quest. What more is there that they can do?"

"That I do not yet know. But to have seven such extraordinary persons in my service, and dependent upon me for the very necessities of survival – it is surely a gift from the gods, and not one to be tossed aside lightly. So long as I am master of the _Argo,_ they shall have no escape save death."


	8. The Magnificent Seven

**Disclaimer: don't own.**

In the deep of the night, while Jason and Medea were slipping the Golden Fleece from between the claws of the heavily drugged dragon, Jade rested. She hoped that the vision of Athena meant that she would no longer face the terrible dream that had played itself out over and over ever since they arrived, forcing her to fight sleep with all her might. But as soon as her eyes closed, she realized that she was wrong; the nightmare was beginning once again.

It was a dream of home.

In a dusty small town of burning and wrecked buildings somewhere outside Los Angeles, the United States Army was locked in a losing battle. Their opponents were, although humanoid, clearly not human; an average of five feet tall, wearing nothing but loincloths, they had pebbly purple skin, absurdly large mouths, and nothing but two small holes where their noses should have been. Although they bore no weapons save stone knives, their seemingly infinite numbers were carrying the day, driving the opposing American infantry back and out of the town.

Jade was no expert on military tactics, but she immediately wondered, as she had done every time before (for such is the strange way of dreams): _Why aren't our guys getting any air support?_ And then she looked at the sky, and understood. A thick black muck was pouring out of what seemed to be an impromptu well in the scorched earth, strangling the clouds and making vision impossible for any pilot.

The alien beings advanced calmly, in perfect lockstep, seemingly untroubled by the explosions of artillery shells that periodically ripped swathes through their ranks. Like the fabled Hydra, when one fell, two took his place, stepping calmly over the burning corpse of their compatriot to fill the hole in the line. But Jade, with the omniscience that is the peculiar gift of the dreamer, knew that their actions were not of their own volition, and that their outward tranquility belied a terrible inner suffering; for she could hear the thoughts that ran through their minds, which remained free even while their bodies were the puppets of another. Their language was a string of clicks, hisses and whistles, nothing that a human voice-box could hope to produce, but she with her prophetic gift understood its meaning. Endlessly they repeated the same anguished thoughts: "_Help me save me free me or let me die help me save me free me or let me die_." Some remembered their loved ones whom they would never see again, and tried to weep; but even their tear ducts were no longer under their control, and they were compelled by the strange power that ruled them to maintain the same placid countenance – presumably to intimidate their enemy, by making them think that they faced beings devoid of fear.

The officers who led them, dressed in flowing scarlet cloaks with golden torques on their arms and golden greaves on their shins, were an entirely different story. Their thoughts were ridden with greed, imagining the riches of the surface world that would soon be theirs; with pride in their success, mixed with a dash of contempt for the feeble humans they fought; with unbridled aggression, the lust for the sight and scent of blood that only the natural-born predator can feel.

Under any other circumstances, Jade would have felt a wave of revulsion at seeing into the minds of such horrendous beings. But she knew, having suffered through this dream so many times before, that they were acting at the behest of one far more evil than they, the only sentient being she had ever encountered that could truthfully be said to be without even the faintest traces of a soul.

Behind the army of marionettes and monsters, the earth rumbled. To the awe and terror of the watching American soldiers, the ground split into a yawning gulf, and from it emerged a vast steppe pyramid of jet-black obsidian, climbing into the ashen sky row by row. Atop this stood a being whose bejeweled headdress bespoke his unquestioned authority – the monarch, perhaps, or high priest, or both at once, of this strange subterranean race. Despite being obviously of a great age and slightly stooped, he cut an impressive figure, as his ankle-length red robes billowed out behind him in the wind and he raised on high his golden staff, tipped with an emerald the size of an ostrich egg that glowed with inner fire.

He called out in the same clicking and hissing tongue as his slave-warriors, but in a deeper register – a gravelly voice, with a powerful undercurrent of malice. For a moment, Jade saw into his eyes, with their yellow, lizard-like pupils, and was overwhelmed by the sheer hatred that roiled within him – an enmity, not only toward the humans whom he was slaughtering, but toward his own race whom he so cruelly abused; an enmity, in fact, to everything that drew breath. Nothing, she sensed, would have made him happier than a melted, hollowed-out, silent shell of an Earth on which he alone remained alive.

His cry was a summons. The gap in the earth widened, and poured out hordes of nightmarish monsters – beasts the size of buildings, neither reptile nor mammal, with too many heads, too many eyes, too many fangs. The Americans resumed fire, but their bullets and shells merely bounced off the creatures' tough hide. Swatting aside their own warriors in their fury, the beasts coiled themselves to pounce upon the nearest American infantry squadron.

It was at this point that Jade always awoke, usually to be stricken with a violent bout of nausea as she imagined what the aftermath of the attack must have been. But tonight, to her surprise, the dream continued.

As the abominations unsheathed their claws and licked their foaming lips in anticipation, a tremendous burst of light illuminated the scene with dazzling clarity. The terrified faces of the American soldiers, the confused eyes of the beasts, the fury etched into every line of the alien commander's wrinkled visage – Jade could distinguish them all.

As the light faded, seven silhouetted figures appeared on the crest of a nearby hill. One of them, Jade realized, had wings.

The central figure of the group proclaimed to both humans and aliens, in a voice that Jade could not quite recognize, but found strangely familiar: "Do not fear. This fight is over. We will permit no more pointless bloodshed."

The alien commander unleashed an ear-splitting shriek. Heeding him, the monstrous beasts turned their attention away from the beleaguered infantrymen and charged the mysterious seven.

Far from being intimidated, the heroes immediately went to meet them. The small winged one took off into the skies, as shining metal talons emerged from the tips of her fingers; effortlessly she slashed the blinding muck apart, swept through the clouds until she had reached the rear of the enemy forces, then descended steeply to rake the back of one horned monster with her claws. Another of the seven changed his shape into something like a gigantic ankylosaurus, then lumbered into the fray and began bashing in the abominations' skulls with his bony clubbed tail. A third ran through the ranks of the beasts at lightning speed and unleashed a flurry of sword slashes that sliced their flesh like ribbons; a fourth simply leapt into the air, then came down nearly half a mile away with a tremendous crash that sent a fountain of asphalt high into the air, and immediately began to throw titanic punches.

But Jade's attention remained riveted to the central figure. As her six compatriots fought vigorously, she – for the warrior's body was clearly that of a slender female – simply walked forward, not even bothering to draw her sword until she was halfway down the hill, ignoring the struggle that raged about her on all sides. Jade could sense that she had one opponent, and only one, on her mind: the alien commander. He clearly knew this too, for he flew from the top of his pyramid on a beam of energy and landed before her, staff poised to strike. In the light from his emerald weapon, Jade could finally make out the other combatant's face.

It was her own.

And then, at last, Jade awoke.

She gasped for air, overwhelmed by the strangeness of what she had witnessed; it felt as though a great weight were pressing on her chest. Beck, who had been half-dozing next to her in the tent, snapped to alertness when he sensed her distress, and immediately embraced her. "It's all right, baby, it's fine. I'm here. Another bad dream?"

"Bad…good…I don't know…nightmare…prophecy…so confused…" The always calm and collected Jade West was practically babbling now.

Beck hugged her tighter. "Jade, I can't pretend to understand what it is that you…see…in your dreams. But I promise you, everything's going to be okay."

At last, with difficulty, she recovered her composure. "No, Beck. It's not. Not unless we get home. Right now."

"But there's no way to-"

"Then we'd damn well better _find _a way. Because without our help, humanity is doomed."


	9. Nostoi

**A/N: a very short chapter here. The next chapter will be the last of this story, but fear not; there will be a sequel (eventually), provided that people want to read it. I hadn't planned to do things this way, but it seemed most natural, given the direction the story ended up taking, to split it up.**

**Disclaimer: don't own.**

"He's never going to let us go, is he?" muttered Beck to Jade.

"I doubt it."

They had the Fleece, it was true, but so far it had done them very little good. Medea, with her ten-year-old brother Apsyrtus in tow, was now aboard; her father Aeetes had just discovered her treachery, and swiftly massed an armada to hunt her down.

Now, at midday, the _Argo_'s rowers strained themselves to the utmost, fueled by sheer panic. Astern, the Colchian fleet was in hot pursuit, sails unfurled with a favorable wind, and would almost certainly overtake the _Argo_ before night fell. If that happened, it was unlikely Aeetes would leave anyone aboard alive.

Jason and Medea began conferring hurriedly, in hushed tones. Medea gestured toward her brother. Jason hesitated, then nodded assent.

The sorceress disappeared below decks for a moment, then reappeared wielding an axe. Jason seized Apsyrtus and held him in a painful armlock as Medea approached.

Jade turned to their resident mythology expert. "Robbie, what the hell is going on?"

"Medea is going to distract her father by…by…" He turned deathly pale.

"Spit it out, dude!"

"…by chopping her brother into pieces and scattering them on the waves. Aeetes will stop to pick them up so that he can bury them, which will give the _Argo_ a chance to escape."

"Sweet Jesus," Tori whispered. "We can't possibly allow that."

"We don't have a choice," Robbie replied. "I don't like this any more than you guys do, believe me, but the death of Apsyrtus has to happen for the myth to play out to its conclusion."

"Is that so?" Jade said thoughtfully. She edged toward Trina and whispered in her ear.

The older girl strode forward, slapped Medea's axe away, and effortlessly tore the young boy from Jason's grasp. The captain of the _Argo _hurled a punch at her jaw, and made contact, but succeeded only in breaking his hand. As he cried out in pain, Trina backhanded him, careful to limit her force so that she could knock him unconscious without breaking his neck. He slumped to the deck.

Spider-web-like fissures again appeared in the sky above. "Do you realize what you're _doing?_" Medea cried.

"You better believe it," Jade shot back in a venomous tone. "And if you want to stop it, I suggest you send us home."

Medea lifted her hand and spoke a few curt words. Everyone onboard froze as still as statues, save for Medea herself and Jade, who were both surrounded by a blue ball of light.

"Just between you and me, child – why does it matter so much to you that you return?"

"There is a great danger – I've seen it, in my dreams. We're going to be needed."

Medea smiled. "I like you, Jadelyn West. You are like me – a woman without fear, a breaker of boundaries. Perhaps you and your friends will indeed accomplish great things."

"Perhaps we will. But we'll need more power than we have now – if you catch my drift."

"And if I refuse?"

"We break the world."

"And die yourselves."

"If that's what it takes."

"You drive a hard bargain, child – but so be it." She waved her hand, and the world around them resumed its motion.

"Let the kid go, Trina," Jade said. She obeyed.

Medea rubbed an amulet that hung around her neck and began to chant: "_Nosteite, nosteite, kai humin esto to ton theon kratos. Nosteite, nosteite, kai heroes kreittones genesthe._"

Jason returned to consciousness and dizzily struggled to his feet. "What are you doing, you accursed barbarian wench? I commanded you to keep them here!"

"Not at the cost of the world's destruction, beloved." She called to the seven teenagers: "Join hands!"

As they intertwined their fingers, they felt a crackle of electricity run through them – the same that the Wishing Stone had produced when Jade first made her wish. The entire world seemed to invert itself, right itself, invert itself once more-

And they were standing in the empty halls of Hollywood Arts High School.

Tori glanced at the digital clock high on the wall, flashing the date and time. "Guys, according to this, we've only been gone five minutes."

"That's…that's not possible," said André. "It's been _months_ since we left."

"Maybe time moves faster there than here," Jade replied.

"Well, all that really matters is that we're all back home, and back to normal," said Tori.

Cat murmured meekly, "Ummm…maybe normal isn't the right word…"

And she unfurled her wings.


	10. The End of the Beginning

**Disclaimer: don't own.**

"_Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." – Winston Churchill, November 1942_

_The next Monday_

Aloysius Philbrick, MBA, was deeply perplexed, and this was not a state in which he liked to be. One of the reasons he had accepted this job as personnel manager at the SkyStore calling center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was its very monotony, the assurance that nothing substantial would ever change. For Aloysius Philbrick was a boring man, who desired nothing more than a boring life. But today, at least, it appeared that he would not get his wish.

He strode through the rows and rows of identical cubicles in which operators sat, Bluetooth headsets in their ears, fingers poised over their keyboards, waiting to take orders from every part of the country.

As a relatively new hire, the woman whom he wanted to see had been placed at the far end. He used the time to consider carefully how he should approach her: gently, for antagonizing her would serve no useful purpose, but also firmly. This sort of behavior could not be tolerated, after all.

He knocked on the inside wall of her cubicle. "Ms. Wells?"

She smiled broadly. "Mr. Philbrick! What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you today?"

"Well – " he cleared his throat, stalling for time – "well, in reviewing your sales figures for the past month, I seem to have come across a certain…irregularity."

She was unfazed. "Whatever do you mean?"

"It would appear that you recently sold to a Miss – " he flipped through his notes – "Caterina Valentine, of Los Angeles, something known as a 'Wishing Stone'."

"That's right."

"But, Miss Wells, I've checked and rechecked our inventory, and SkyStore does not _offer _any such product. It certainly doesn't appear in any of our catalogs."

The young woman spoke clearly, slowly, with great emphasis on every word. "We did sell it. It was discontinued. Nothing is wrong."

Mr. Philbrick, not knowing quite why, found himself repeating: "We _did _sell it. It was discontinued. _Nothing is wrong_."

He snapped out of his trance and straightened his tie. "Of course. I was simply mistaken. Forgive me for having bothered you unnecessarily, Ms. Wells."

"Not a bother at all, Mr. Philbrick. Have a lovely day."

"The same to you." As he left, he marveled that he could ever have forgotten the Wishing Stone – one of their most popular items. How on Earth had he become so sloppy?

He shook his head. Olivia Wells was clearly going to go far in this company. After all, no one could deny her anything once they had looked into those captivating gray eyes.

/

Erwin Sikowitz' stomach rumbled ferociously. It was nearly eight, and his mother still hadn't finished preparing his morning bowl of oatmeal with coconut shavings. Impatiently, he flicked on the small kitchen TV.

"…A spokesman for the United States Geological Survey informed the press that the agency cannot offer any explanation for the sudden worldwide spike in seismic activity. Reports are flooding in of volcanic rumblings and earth tremors in every part of the globe, but the hardest hit area thus far has been south Italy, where an earthquake measuring 8.4 on the Richter scale struck yesterday without warning, devastating several towns along the Bay of Naples. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has promised twenty million euros in emergency aid to the stricken area…"

_Why does the news always have to be so depressing? Why can't they ever talk about sunflowers and cute little puppies?_

He felt, rather than heard, his phone buzz with a text, and began digging through his grubby vest pocket. At last he found the phone and flipped it open. The message was from Jade:

"Hey, Sikowitz, I can't make it to class today – I'm sick. Sorry."

Scarcely half a second later, it buzzed again, this time with a text from Beck:

"Sikowitz, I'm sick too. See you in a week."

_A __**week?**__ Oh, of course – the two lovebirds must be running off for an impromptu tryst somewhere. "Sick," my eye._ He sighed. _I should have known that giving them that drive-by acting exercise as Caesar and Cleopatra would get them all worked up…_

_Buzz._ Tori: "Sikowitz, my parents' car won't start. Gonna have to miss class." _Hmmm. Well, so much for my theory. Unless it's some kind of bizarre threesome…nah, I doubt Jade would go for that._

_Buzz._ Cat: "Got my hair stuck in the freezer again! Sorry!"

André: "Had to take my grandma to the doctor." Robbie: "Rex hid my car keys." Trina: "I know I'm not actually in your improv class, but I just wanted to tell you that I can't make it." Tori again: "Please ignore my idiot sister."

"Good Gandhi!" He cried aloud. "My six most talented students, and Trina, all absent on the same day? Has the entire world gone _mad?_"

/

Debbie Blumenfeld, loyal employee of Lufthansa, drummed her fingers on the checkout desk at Los Angeles International Airport. This was going to be a rough day. Natural disasters inevitably meant flights rerouted or cancelled, which in turn would mean angry customers demanding refunds.

Five teenagers approached her. All had their passports in hand, but, she noted curiously, no luggage, save for the packs on their backs. Their leader – a beautiful young woman dressed entirely in black, with an eyebrow ring and streaks of red in her long brown locks – wordlessly shoved her itinerary across the desk.

Debbie examined it. "Well, Miss West, it seems you and your friends have quite a long flight ahead of you. LAX to New York, then Frankfurt, then…Naples? You _are_ aware of the travel advisory that's been issued for southern Italy, I trust?"

"Yeah, we're aware."

"And you're not worried about the risk of seismic activity?"

The girl replied, with a Cheshire cat grin, "Taking risks is what we do best."

"I…see. Is this trip school-related?"

"It's for a study abroad program."

"Just the five of you?"

"Actually, we have two friends who'll be meeting us there. They decided to take…different modes of transport."

"Well, good luck to you all, and stay safe."

She handed them their boarding passes. As the little group headed toward the security checkpoint, Debbie thought, _What I wouldn't give to be that young and carefree again. _

/

On the flight deck of the _Nimitz_-class supercarrier _Harry S. Truman_, currently assigned to the Seventh Fleet patrolling the waters of the Atlantic just outside the Strait of Gibraltar, Second Lieutenant Joe Carter, USN, shielded his bloodshot eyes from the sun and prayed for his headache to stop. He had downed three aspirin already, with no measurable effect, and his CO would not be the least bit happy if he discovered that the officer of the watch was still hung over from yesterday's shore leave. _But what does it really _matter_ whether I'm fully alert, honestly? Nothing ever happens out here…_

A speck swept across the thin cirrus clouds high above. He groaned and forced himself to look straight up, lifting his binoculars to his eyes. It was far too small to be a plane, but moving much too fast to be a bird, or any other kind of winged creature…

But it did have wings.

And a human body.

He looked about wildly for someone, anyone, who could tell him whether he was hallucinating, but the deck was empty save for him.

He turned the binoculars out to sea. Something else was coming, speeding over the water's surface, a slender wisp of ceaseless, blurry motion, running too fast to sink, passing along the port side.

It was a girl. A girl who slowed down to wave to him, then accelerated again and vanished into the distance.

At that moment, Second Lieutenant Joe Carter made two vows. The first: that he would schedule an eye exam with the ship's medical corpsman the first chance he got. The second: that he would never touch alcohol again so long as he lived.

/

Two kilometers north of the town of Minori, Fabrizio Pallati knelt in the ruins of his _ristorante_ and wept.

His father Ambrosio had founded the restaurant, attracting both tourists and locals with his signature dish, spaghetti and clams in garlic sauce. Fabrizio was a poorer chef than his father had been, but a better businessman, and the restaurant thrived under his management. Now it was gone, reduced to charred rubble, mixed with rocks that had fallen from the overhanging cliff when the earthquake hit.

He heard feet scuffling in the dust and rose. Three bizarre creatures were approaching from up the road – purple-skinned beings with no noses, dressed only in loincloths.

"Che cosa volete?" _What do you want?_

They drew stone knives and advanced threateningly.

"Fermatevi!" _Stop!_

They ignored him.

"Soccorso! Aiutami, qualcuno, nel nome di Dio!" _Help! Someone help me, in the name of God!_

Three blades plunged into his chest at once. He looked down to see a red stain rapidly spreading on his white shirt.

/

On a deserted stretch of Italian beach, seven teenagers gathered.

"Do you really think we can do this?" Robbie Shapiro asked. "I know that we're even more powerful than we were before, but this – this threat could destroy the whole world. And we're still just kids."

Tori Vega shook her head. "Not anymore. Not after everything that's happened."

"I hate to say this, but Vega's right," said Jade West. "Like it or not, we've got a responsibility now, and we can't shirk it. Humanity _needs _us."

"I never asked for any of this," Trina Vega grumbled.

"I'll take you shopping in Rome if you help," said Jade.

"I'm in," she instantly responded.

The young seer looked at each of her friends in turn. "Everybody ready?"

They silently nodded assent.

"Then let's go save the world."

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_


End file.
